Worlds Apart
by Foster Marsh
Summary: Terabithia.  It's much more real, and much more ancient than it seems.  In the original story, Jess and Leslie found Terabithia, but what would happen if Terabithia found them as well?
1. Knowledge is Power

**Worlds Apart**  
A _Bridge to Terabithia_ Fan Fiction

First of all, thank you for reading. For the record, _Worlds Apart_ is set in the movieverse, however I added two years to each character's age. The age adjustment will not directly affect any of the canon events. Also, if you have any objection to non-canon characters, you might want to suppress that prejudice for the duration of this story. I'm not good at compartmentalizing stories into genres, so take the genre with a grain of salt. If you were expecting a longer preface, I apologize for not delivering. Enjoy the story!

_Props: _Thanks a lot to NarnianMelody and snowstargirl for beta-ing this chapter! They were both immensely helpful, and deserve more credit than I can give for their assistance.

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own the world of Terabithia. It originally belonged to Katherine Patterson, but now may be split among Disney and other corporations. No profit was, or will be received from this story.

**Chapter 1 – Knowledge is Power  
**(Please read and review, it makes us better writers.)

"Why am I not surprised?" Foster sighed as he climbed into bed. Another day had come and passed, but this wasn't just another day. It was his twelfth birthday, and his father had completely forgotten about it.

In truth, he knew the answer to his own question. Ever since his mother had passed away two years earlier on the day before Christmas, his father had been more distant than ever. Things just hadn't returned to normal.

Foster snorted at the thought. Normal. What is normal, anyway?

_"Whatever it is,"_ he thought to himself, _"My father and I are abou__t as far from it as possible."_

His father was one of the founding members of _The Flame_, an underground revolutionary group working to overthrow the Dark Master. Foster, on the other hand… well, let's just say he didn't look like your typical Terabithian.

Adults told Foster that he looked like a human, but he had never actually seen a human except in textbooks, so he couldn't say for sure. Both of his parents were definitely Terabithian, so he suspected that he'd been adopted. When he had asked his mother about this, she'd simply given him a hug and said, "All that matters is that your father and I love you very much."

In response to the same question, his father would reply with "It's complicated," and change the subject.

Foster tried to put those thoughts out of his mind, but they kept pestering him, like an annoying itch he couldn't scratch. Realizing that sleep would not be coming anytime soon, he threw the sheets back, got up, and walked into the bathroom. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he raked his fingers through his jet-black hair. It was neat, yet disheveled; short enough that it didn't require much combing. He had piercing blue eyes that could bore a hole straight through a person, and a well-defined jaw. He was quite handsome by human standards, but of course he didn't know that.

He shook his head vigorously and splashed some water on his face. He was zoning out again.

His mind had a habit of leaving the world around him and running off, only to get lost in his own thoughts. As he reached for the door handle, he heard the front door slam shut. His father was home.

Foster wandered out to the living room to greet him.

"Hey Dad," Foster said.

His father had already grabbed the day's newspaper and sat down in his favorite blue recliner. "Hey yourself," he replied.

"How was the meeting?" Foster asked. Every Thursday night, _The Flame_'s Board of Generals met to discuss important happenings during the past week. His father, being one of the top officials in The Flame, helped to moderate their meetings.

The grimace on his father's face answered for him.

"Terrible. Recruiting's down, and we don't have the money nor the resources to properly equip the people we already have. We've estimated that around 90 percent of the population has chosen to give up and accept the Dark Master's rule, at least for the time being. I honestly don't…"

He stopped himself. "Why don't you get to bed? It's late, and you've got school tomorrow." He ended the conversation by covering his face with the paper.

Foster said nothing, just spun around and returned to his bed. His head buzzed with questions, not the least of which was "How did you manage to forget my birthday?", but he knew he'd get nothing more out of his father. Besides, that was the most his father had said to him in well over six months. He had to admit that cheered him up a bit, even if the subject matter didn't.

As he got into bed for the second time that evening, Foster reviewed his schedule for the next day.

Tuesday.

That meant school until mid-afternoon, and training with Edge immediately thereafter. "Should be a fun day," he thought to himself.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_Boom, boom, boom_. Foster awoke with a jolt to the sound of his father pounding on the outside of his bedroom wall. "Time to get up!" His father called.

Foster rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and was fully awake in less than 10 seconds. In fact, he didn't even remember falling asleep in the first place. That was the way it was with him. Some people liked to stay in bed and drift back and forth, in and out of sleep, but he wasn't one of those people. If the Dark Master or one of his minions decided to raid their house, he didn't want to be caught lying in bed.

After he had gotten dressed, Foster made his way through the living room and into the kitchen. His father was already there, enjoying his usual breakfast of coffee and cold cereal. Foster got himself a bowl of the same cereal and poured a cup of orange juice from the jug on the counter. He sat down in the chair across from his father.

Silence loomed over the table. As usual.

Foster decided against mentioning his birthday. It was over and done with now, and there was no sense in putting more stress on his father.

As he finished his breakfast, his father looked up.

"Better get to school."

"Yeah," Foster replied.

He grabbed his satchel from its place next to the front door and left his house without any delay.

His school was only about 500 yards from his house, so he had no problem walking the distance. He could have flown or ridden in like most of the other kids, but it wasn't worth the bother. When it rained, he just brought an umbrella. He enjoyed the exercise; it made him feel independent.

As he trudged up the path to the front door of the school, he glanced around the schoolyard. Everyone avoided eye contact with him. As usual.

It wasn't that they didn't like humans. In fact, everyone eagerly anticipated the next coming of humans. It would signal the beginning of the end for the Dark Master and his reign of tyranny. The royal family would be reestablished, and peace and harmony would prevail. At least, that's what the Idealists liked to say.

No, the real reason his classmates avoided him like the plague was simply because he looked different. Not to mention the fact that he lacked the god-like powers that he had heard humans acquired when they ventured into Terabithia. He figured that since he had lived in Terabithia for as long as he could remember, he didn't really count as an outsider.

Then again, he didn't feel like an insider, either.

Foster shook his head as he continued inside to his first class. Edge always said that self-pity is a waste of time, and he was right. As usual.

Foster knew it could have been… no, it _had_ been worse. Growing up, he used to get picked on mercilessly by the other kids. Every day had meant more things stolen, more bruises to add to his collection. He never told either of his parents about his problems. It would have broken his mother's heart to know the truth about what went on at school.

When he turned 10, his father had started grooming Foster to be his successor. After pulling a few strings, his father was lucky enough to secure an apprenticeship with Edge, a highly accomplished special ops warrior. From him, Foster learned everything from archery to martial arts to covert ops. They had similar personalities and interests, and soon grew to be best friends despite the 20 year age difference between them.

Foster had been training for about a year when his mother suddenly died of a mysterious ailment. Some suspected the Dark Master had had her poisoned, but no one could say for sure. _The Flame_ had other priorities besides investigating deaths, which were too frequent an occurrence under the Dark Master's rule. Everyone else preferred to look the other way and avoid a similar fate.

The emotional stress took its toll on Foster. He grew moody and reclusive, speaking as little as possible and spending his free time hiding in his room, composing songs. Songwriting had become a hobby of his, something that helped him get away from the pain that he couldn't get out of his head.

Three weeks after his mother's death, Foster was walking up the stairs to the second floor of his school. Kent Durahil, a school bully who was 2 years older, 6 inches taller, and 70 pounds heavier, approached him from behind. Just as Foster reached the top step, Kent stuck his leg out and viciously tripped him from behind. Echoes of his taunt still rang in Foster's ears:

"Watch that last step, Newham. It's a doozy."

Foster snapped.

- - - - - - - - - - -

When all was said and done, Kent had to be rushed to the hospital with a broken jaw as well as a few broken ribs. Luckily, a teacher had witnessed the incident, or Foster would likely have been facing expulsion. In the end, he received nothing more than a week's worth of detention and the fearful respect of every student in the school.

Needless to say, the teasing stopped.

Foster stepped through the doorway of his first class, Formulas, and took his seat in the front left corner of the classroom with practiced ease. His teacher, Mr. Larson, was nothing short of a mathematical genius. He could use math to make one believe two plus two equaled five, if he wanted to.

Mr. Larson greeted the class and wasted no time diving right into the concept of multiple variable equations with an exuberance not often seen in math teachers. He seemed genuinely excited to be sharing his knowledge with the class.

As the bell signaling the end of class rang, Foster's brain automatically shut down. Formulas was the only class he really needed to pay attention in. He had found that in all other classes, he was gifted with the ability to completely space out while still passively absorbing information. As a result, schoolwork came easy for him; he had been a straight-A student for his entire life. However, it still wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, probably as an unconscious reaction to the countless bullies who had made his early school days a living hell. Over time, Foster had come to realize that education was a necessary evil, and (as the teachers were quick to point out) it would no doubt prove useful later in life.

The rest of the school day passed by without event. As the final bell rang, Foster gathered his things and headed for home. He stopped there briefly to drop off his satchel and to snack on a juicy apple before jogging over to Edge's house for his training.

The funny thing about Edge was that even though everyone in _The Flame_knew and trusted him, nobody knew much about him. No one knew his real name (or if he even had one, for that matter), where he came from, or who his family was. The only thing people knew about him was that he was an exceptional warrior and a brilliant tactician who had risked his life many times running missions for _The Flame_. In the bleak reality of a world ruled by the Dark Master, that was all that mattered.

As he gained notoriety, Edge had grown to be something of a legend among the Terabithian people. However, he frequently commented that, "The real man doesn't stand up to the legend." He didn't fancy himself a war hero by any means, preferring to focus on doing what needed to be done rather than wasting time boasting of his achievements.

Edge was incredibly ordinary in both appearance and dress, to the extent that he could easily walk right by a Squogre patrol without being recognized. Some attention-seeking people might have considered looking ordinary to be a flaw, but Edge thought of it as an advantage. This, combined with the fact that he lived alone, allowed him to be highly mobile and virtually untraceable by the Dark Master.

Foster blinked. He was standing on Edge's doorstep. He raised his hand to knock, but the door flew open before his fingers hit the wood.

"I was wondering how long you were gonna stand there. Come on in!" Warmth radiated from Edge's friendly smile as he beckoned Foster inside.

"Sorry about that," Foster apologized. "I kind of got lost…"

"…in thought," Edge finished. "Don't worry about it. It happens. Might want to avoid doing that when you're in combat, though. Could get you into a sticky situation."

Foster shook his head ruefully.

"_That's Edge for you,"_ he thought to himself. _"Everything always relates back to business."_

"Anyway, now that you're here, I've got something for you. Consider it a belated birthday present."

Foster followed Edge into his sparsely furnished living room and sat down beside him on the lone sofa. The glass-topped coffee table across from them was spotless, but had nothing on it.

After a few seconds, Foster managed to work up the nerve to ask, "Where is it?"

"Where's what?" Edge innocently replied. His perfectly straight face gave away no secrets.

Foster was nonplussed. "The thing you were going to show me!"

The corners of Edge's mouth curled up into a half-grin as he let out a soft chuckle. "The 'thing' is not something you can hold in your hands."

"Well, what is it?"

"Knowledge: one of the most valuable tools you can possess." Edge crossed one leg over the other. "Anyways, I have to set it up with a story first. You'll remember that I told you I'd be gone yesterday."

Foster nodded. "So that's what this is about," he said. "Did you go on some kind of secret mission?"

"Not exactly."

"What, then?"

"Maybe if you stop asking questions, I'll be able to tell you." Edge flashed that same half-grin again.

Foster opened his mouth to voice his agreement, but thought better of it and settled into a more comfortable position on the sofa.

"A few months after Solomon gave up his name and became the depraved dictator known as the Dark Master, he came to a very important realization: knowledge is power. This led him to seize control of the Terabithian Archives, which unfortunately were only about three blocks away from his newly erected stronghold. He reasoned that if he could curb the flow of information, he would ultimately have that much more control over the population.

"Of course, he didn't want to send Terabithia back to the Dark Ages, so he allowed learning and cultural development to continue at a subdued rate. Scientists and researchers who tried to investigate 'classified subjects', such as where the Kings and Queens had come from, were imprisoned or killed. Knowledge that had previously been common fell to the wayside and was lost."

Edge glanced down at Foster's hand, which was impatiently drumming out a tune on his leg, and raised his eyebrows. Foster stopped abruptly and crossed his arms.

"Which brings us to the present," Edge continued. "A week ago, your father asked me if I would be interested in, shall we say, 'liberating' some books from the Archives. I, of course, accepted."

Foster's mouth gaped open in amazement. "But… how?" he asked. "The only place that has more guards than the Archives is the Dark Master's palace itself! It's practically airtight!"

"That's what you're supposed to think," Edge corrected. "In reality, the building wasn't that hard to get into."

"So, how'd you pull it off?" Foster wondered aloud.

"The story's not nearly as exciting as you might think. I just told the guards what they wanted to hear: that I had orders from the Dark Master himself, and anyone that stopped me would answer directly to him. I walked into the library, grabbed books related to the topics your father was interested in, and walked out. Simple as that."

"That's it?" Foster asked incredulously.

Edge nodded. "You can bluff your way into any place, if you put a little thought into it. Remember that. The mind is the most versatile tool a warrior has. Use it to avoid physical violence, when possible."

Foster was silent for a respectful period of time before asking, "So, what were the books about?"

"I was just getting to that," Edge replied. "A good portion of them related to placeshifting, which is the term for the way in which the Kings and Queens got from their world to ours and back again."

Foster groaned. "This is going to be complicated, isn't it?"

Edge responded with a shrug.

"A little bit," he agreed. "But try to stay with me. There aren't many people who know this." He adjusted his position on the sofa before continuing.

"Basically, the universe is made up of two types of planets: homeworlds and subworlds. Each homeworld has at least one subworld connected to it, often more. The subworlds often share physical and cultural characteristics with their homeworld, though not as a rule. For example, Terabithia is a subworld of Earth, and shares geography and language, among other things. Still with me?"

"I think so."

"Good. Here's where it gets a little more complex. When a resident of a homeworld, such as a human, placeshifts to a subworld, they're not bound by any of the laws of physics. Scientists have yet to figure out why this happens, but at least it explains the god-like powers of the Kings and Queens.

"However, when a resident of a subworld placeshifts to their homeworld, they don't gain these powers. The only possible exception to this rule that we've seen so far is you. To put it bluntly, you're clearly a human, but you don't exhibit any powers here in Terabithia. At least, not to my knowledge."

Foster shook his head. "Nope," he confirmed.

"There's a small possibility that it may work in reverse; that you would gain powers on Earth. I can't say for sure, though. This seems to be an unprecedented incident, since none of the books say anything about it."

Edge placed his hands behind his head and continued his lecture. "At any rate, that's not our prime concern right now. What I want to focus on is teaching you how to placeshift. Now, humans are able to do it instinctually, and from what I've read, it seems that their world hasn't even discovered the concept yet.

"There's a disturbing consequence to this. A while ago, a few scientists charted the age at which various humans have come to and left Terabithia. They found that not only was the average age of human placeshifters rapidly decreasing, but also that the length of time between individual visitors was increasing just as quickly." He shook his head sadly. "It got to the point where any visitor from Earth would be crowned, regardless of whether or not they were properly qualified. In my opinion, this was a key factor in—"

Edge smacked himself on the forehead. "Sorry, got off-topic," he apologized. "You've become a bad influence on me!"

They shared a laugh, eager to escape the grim subject matter.

"Anyway, where were we?"

Edge's eyes unfocused slightly as he mentally backtracked.

"Ah yes. Placeshifting. From the books I read, I discovered that it's essentially just a deeper form of imagination."

"Imagination?" Foster asked skeptically. He was expecting something a little more complicated. Imagination just seemed so… ordinary.

"Right you are!" Edge replied. "Rather than trying to actively imagine something, you just open your mind and let it show you what's already there. It's helpful to close your eyes during this part, as it's very easy for visual input to break your focus. Once you've accumulated enough details about the other world, let it surround you, flow through you. When you open your eyes, you'll undoubtedly find yourself in an entirely different world."

"Wow," Foster whispered, almost involuntarily.

Edge chuckled with amusement at Foster's reaction. "Want to give it a shot?"

Foster stroked his chin thoughtfully. "There's no chance of something going wrong, is there?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"That's what I was afraid of," Foster muttered under his breath.

After a few seconds, caution gave way to curiosity. "All right, I'll try it," he said.

"Great!" Edge exclaimed. "Just remember, keep your mind open and let Earth come to you."

Foster nodded quickly. "Got it. I'm gonna…uh…go now."

Edge gestured broadly. "Have at it!" he said with a smile.

"This is it," Foster thought to himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, perhaps a bit too tightly. As he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do next, he came to the conclusion that he was probably too tense.

Foster forced himself to relax, both mentally and physically, and as he did so he felt… something… tingling inside his mind. Realizing he was nearing his goal, he followed Edge's instructions and opened his mind as best he could.

Foster felt the peculiar tingling sensation spreading downwards through his entire body and soul, first slowly, then more quickly. Brief images flashed through his mind: trees, a forest, a river. The images began to sharpen and combine into a much larger and more defined vista, and Foster felt the buzzing begin to fade from his limbs.

Worried that he had done something wrong, he tried to grab hold of it and pull it back, but it slipped away from him like water through his fingers. He opened his eyes, intending to tell Edge of his failure.

But Edge wasn't there anymore. In fact, nothing was there at all.

Foster's jaw dropped open out of sheer amazement as he slowly examined his surroundings. He blinked twice and rubbed his eyes, still not believing what he saw before him.

It was the exact same scene that had come to him in his mind. Sunlight filtered through the brilliant green leaves of the oak trees to bright light and warmth to the forest. The wind picked up slightly, and Foster heard the rustle of leaves mix with the quiet sound of rushing water.

The peacefulness that had washed over him was replaced with fear when he realized that he had no idea how to get back to Terabithia. Foster had no desire to end up marooned in a strange world, paradise or not.

He forced himself to relax and closed his eyes. As he opened his mind and felt the tingling sensation once more, he concentrated on images of Edge's living room.

"Ah, you're back."

Foster opened his eyes to see Edge staring at him.

"Yeah," he replied, still a bit taken aback at what had just happened.

"In case you're wondering, it gets quicker and easier with practice. As I mentioned before, humans possess the ability to placeshift from birth, so the transition from one world to the next is nearly seamless for them. However, when they first start out, they sometimes have problems retaining their focus, and drift back and forth between worlds."

Foster nodded, then said, "I have a question."

"With any luck, I'll have an answer."

"Why don't we just teach _The Flame_ and the rest of Terabithia to placeshift, and then move to Earth?"

Edge hesitated briefly before answering.

"There are a couple of different reasons. One of them is that only in rare circumstances are adults able to placeshift. That's why I didn't go along with you on your little expedition; it's not because I didn't want to, I just… don't have it in me."

Foster thought he heard a note of sadness in Edge's voice, but it was gone before he could be sure.

"However, that's not the only reason," Edge continued. "Even if we were able to move the Terabithians to Earth, who knows how the humans would react to an alien race seemingly invading their world. Oh, I almost forgot…"

Edge snapped his fingers.

"When I say 'humans', I mean 'residents of Earth', not necessarily you. As I mentioned before, the regular rules don't seem to apply to you.

"There's one more reason," Edge went on. "As far as we know, the Dark Master is content being the sole ruler of Terabithia, wiping out opposition as it comes to his attention. If the Terabithians left for Earth, it's very likely that he would make every attempt to follow them. That would certainly prove to be disastrous if he was successful. We could not in good conscience bring such a great evil on the humans."

Foster covered his mouth to stifle a huge yawn.

Edge eyed him critically, then stood up.

"You'd better get home. We can go over this more tomorrow."

Foster nodded in agreement, then stood up and followed Edge to the door. As he was reaching for the door handle, something occurred to him, and he stopped.

"Hey, Edge?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for remembering my birthday."

Edge smiled. "No problem, kid. Enjoy it while it lasts."

Foster didn't entirely understand what Edge meant by that last sentence, but he decided against asking about it. He pulled open the door, walked through it and closed it behind him without looking back.

- - - - - - - - - - -

As he walked home, Foster couldn't help but notice that Terabithia looked a lot like a civilized version of the forest he had set foot in on Earth. Even so, he had to admit that the forest was much more serene. He couldn't wait to try placeshifting again.

As Foster neared his house, he noticed that the shadows were growing longer. He was hit with a sudden pang of hunger, and found the front door to be a welcome sight. Foster flung it open and hurried inside.

He didn't even bother to call for his father; Foster knew that he wouldn't be home until late at night. He went into the kitchen and made himself a light supper, consisting of a ham sandwich and some leftover salad with a glass of water.

After grabbing a fork, Foster sat down at the table to eat. He had nothing in particular on his mind, and enjoyed the respite after the long day.

Polishing off the last bite of sandwich, Foster stood up and took his dishes over to the sink. He didn't really have anything else to do, so he washed them and put them back into the cupboard. "Now what?" he asked to no one in particular.

Finding that no answer was immediately forthcoming, Foster decided to go to bed early in order to speed the coming of the next day. As he made his way through the darkened living room, he felt a frigid gust of wind hit the back of his neck. Foster stopped abruptly.

_"Wait,"_ he thought to himself. _"Why isn't it—"_

An ice-cold hand gripped his shoulder.

Startled, Foster swatted the hand away and spun around to find himself staring up into the hooded visage of the Dark Master. Foster's eyes widened in terror, but Edge's training was already kicking in. Taking a quick glance at his surroundings, he noticed that if he could get around the Dark Master, he'd have a clear path to the front door.

The Dark Master raised his left hand and snapped his fingers, still not taking his eyes off of Foster. Two figures materialized from the shadows, dragging a third between them. Foster let out an involuntary gasp as he recognized his father, bound and gagged. He was struggling violently against his captors.

The Dark Master laughed mockingly at Foster's reaction and spoke for the first time. "You didn't think you could hide forever, did you?"

"I—I—uh—well," Foster stuttered.

"Now," The Dark Master said, ignoring him. "Under normal circumstances, I would just drag you two off to prison to rot with the rest of your pestilent friends. However, the variables surrounding you and your father must be accounted for. Therefore, I'm willing to make you a deal."

"DON'T LISTEN! RUN!" Foster's father had managed to work loose his gag.

"Silence him!" The Dark Master commanded.

"With pleasure," his minions replied, pulling heavy-looking truncheons from their belts and beating Foster's father brutally over the head.

He went limp and slumped to the ground, unmoving.

"NOOO!" Foster howled. "How could you—"

"It was quite easy, actually," The Dark Master said, interrupting him. "Now, here is my deal. You tell me where the stolen books are, and I'll let you go. Simple enough, isn't it?"

Foster had already made up his mind to run. He paced to the side, hands on his head, apparently in deep thought. As soon as he was around the Dark Master, he broke into a full sprint for the front door.

The Dark Master shook his head.

"Fool," he murmured, before raising his voice. "After him!"

The guards that were with him saluted before taking off in pursuit.

Foster was halfway through the kitchen when the front door burst open. A pair of Squogres ran in, chittering menacingly. Foster didn't break stride. He used the one in front as a springboard to vault over the other and out the door.

Breathing hard, Foster ran to the left, towards Edge's house.

_"No,"_ he thought. _"I can't lead them there, that's what they want… but if not there… then where?"_ He racked his brains, still running. Glancing behind him, he saw about twenty of the Dark Master's soldiers gaining on him.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. Following it wouldn't have been his first choice, but unfortunately, it was the only choice he could think of. Foster closed his eyes and pictured himself running through the forest on Earth.

"You cannot escape me! I am far more—"

The Dark Master's voice faded away, as if he was standing at the other end of a long tunnel.

Foster opened his eyes and found that he was in the forest. He stopped running and flopped down against a tree, trying to catch his breath. Looking around at his surroundings, he saw that they had not changed much, if at all, from last time.

As night fell on the calm forest, reality began to set in. He was in a strange forest, in a strange world. He couldn't go back to Terabithia.

He had left his father…

Tears welled in his eyes at the last thought, but he pushed them back as quickly as they had come. He needed to concentrate on surviving, for the time being.

Foster began to gather sticks to build a shelter, but fatigue set in almost as soon as he began to move. Exhausted, he lay down on the ground. The forest floor was surprisingly comfortable, and his eyes closed almost of their own accord.

Too tired to even think straight, he soon fell into a deep, restful sleep.


	2. The Right Time

**Worlds Apart**  
A _Bridge to Terabithia_ Fan Fiction

_Author's Note: _In the interest of getting this chapter out as fast as possible, I uploaded it without doing as much in-depth revising as I usually do. If you spot anything continuity errors, or anything that needs correcting, don't hesitate to let me know in a review. Speaking of reviews, I would be much obliged if everyone who reads this chapter would at least leave their comments in a review, even if it's only "Great job!". Anonymous reviews are turned on, for those of you without a username.

_Props: _Thanks muchly to my reviewers: MadTom, NarnianMelody, Sharkie, and haha169. Also, thanks to my readers who haven't reviewed; you know who you are!

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own the world of Terabithia. It originally belonged to Katherine Patterson, but now may be split among Disney and other corporations. No profit was, or will be received from this story.

**Chapter 2 – The Right Time  
**(Please read and review, it makes us better writers.)

Foster blinked, rose to his feet, and stretched. Taking a glance skyward, he noted the sun's position. It was well into the afternoon, not that it really mattered. Time didn't determine his actions anymore. It was a strange feeling; all his life he had been taught the importance of punctuality, but now that he had left the trappings of society behind, he could set his own schedule.

Foster's stomach growled loudly, disrupting the relative calm of the forest and reminding him of how hungry he was. He decided to make finding food his first priority, seeing as how shelter wasn't absolutely necessary in the mild weather.

Looking around, he spotted a lone apple tree not too far away from him. The tree's bright red fruit created a sharp contrast with the brown and green tones of the rest of the forest. Running over to the tree, he wondered for a moment whether the fruit might be poisonous. Then he realized that he was too hungry to care, and it wasn't very likely anyways.

Ravenous, Foster snatched an apple from one of the lower-hanging branches and bit into its juicy flesh. It was crisp, crunchy, and not too sweet; one of the best apples he had ever had. _"Hunger: nature's flavor enhancer," _he thought with a wry smile.

As he was gathering a few more apples, he heard someone shout. "Leslie!" the voice called. From what he could tell, the voice came from across the river. His curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to go see where the voice was coming from. After all, humans weren't supposed to have special powers on their own world… at least, that's what Edge said.

Brushing that thought aside, he moved silently but quickly in the direction of the shout. Jogging through the forest noiselessly was much easier said than done, and it took all of concentration to do so. In fact, he was focusing so hard on staying quiet that he almost forgot why he was running in the first place.

As he rounded a particularly large oak, Foster stopped short. He had come within a few feet of running into a blonde-haired human girl. She was turned away from him, and was beckoning to an unseen person. Foster stifled a yelp and leaped back under cover. The girl now had her back to a tree, waiting in ambush with a mischievous grin on her face.

Foster watched as a brown-haired human boy came running towards the girl's hiding place. He was clutching a gnarled stick and seemed nervous, maybe even scared. Foster reasoned that he was the one who was doing all the shouting, based on his behavior. This meant that the girl's name was Leslie.

Just as he was about to pass her by, Leslie leaned out towards him and yelled.

"Raah!"

Startled, the boy jumped back in surprise. Leslie burst into a fit of giggles at the sight.

The boy, however, was not so amused. "We shouldn't be in here," he said. "This isn't our land!"

"Not so loud," Leslie replied. "They'll hear you!"

Foster followed the pair at a distance as they walked through the forest.

"What are you talking about?" the boy asked.

Leslie ignored his question and continued walking. Spotting something up ahead, she broke into a run. "Hey, what's that?" she wondered aloud.

Foster spotted it at the same time as she did. It was an ancient, rusted-out pickup truck that had sat in the same place for so long that the forest was beginning to absorb it. _"Hold on a minute,"_ Foster thought. _"How did I know that hunk of metal was a… pickup truck? There's nothing that looks like this in Terabithia. Edge must have said something…"_ Foster put those thoughts out of his mind, dismissing them as unimportant at the moment, and resumed his surveillance of the two.

"Whoa. Jess, look at this! Wow!" Leslie exclaimed, radiating excitement.

_"Jess—must be the boy's name,"_ Foster noted.

The two were standing next to the pickup truck by now.

"Too bad for them. They got so close!" Leslie said.

"What are you talking about?" Jess asked again, echoing Foster's thoughts.

This time, Leslie answered him.

"To the kingdom!"

Jess started glancing from side to side, looking even more on edge than he already was.

"What's that?"

"What?" Leslie was making her way slowly around the decrepit old truck.

"Th—that sound, I've heard it before. Someone's out there!"

Foster was a bit confused at this remark. He had hardly moved a muscle since the pair discovered the truck, so he knew that Jess couldn't have heard him. The only other unusual sound in the forest was the steady jangling of chimes hanging from a mirror inside the truck.

Leslie had answer for him, as usual. "That's the sound of the prisoners, rattling their chains."

Jess echoed Foster's thoughts for a second time. "What prisoners?"

The girl was on the other side of the truck by now, peering at Jess through the broken windows.

She lowered her voice to a near-whisper. "The prisoners… of the Dark Master."

Foster was stunned. _"How did she… but that would mean…"_ He stopped, realizing that the girl and boy in front of him might be the Queen and King that Terabithia had waited so long for.

He had to check and make sure that it wasn't just a coincidence, though. Foster knew the danger involved in going back, and the fact that his previous escape was mostly due to a stroke of luck, but that did not dissuade him.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Shifting over to Terabithia (Edge was right, it was getting easier), Foster found himself standing in the middle of a vacant, dusty road. He didn't bother to search for cover, figuring that he wouldn't be in Terabithia for very long. Quickly scanning the area, he saw three prisoners in chains being led away by the Dark Master's soldiers, not too far down the road. The chains that bound their hands and feet made a soft clanking sound as they shuffled off.

_"Well, at least they're not injured… yet,"_ Foster thought. He shuddered, remembering stories of the horrors that prisoners of the Dark Master endured.

One thing was still unresolved in Foster's mind. He didn't see Jess and Leslie anywhere.

_"If they're still in the same place, then they should be right about… there.__"_ He pointed towards the spot to orient himself. Looking closer, he saw the faint outline of Jess and Leslie, exactly where they should be. Leslie's image was slightly stronger than Jess's, probably because she was more in-tune with Terabithia than Jess was. Foster reasoned that they were invisible to other Terabithians, seeing as how no one had noticed them yet.

"Hey! You there! Stop!"

Oops. Foster realized that he hadn't been paying attention to the soldiers, one of which was pointing towards him. Despite his predicament, he chuckled at the soldier's command. He wasn't even moving in the first place.

"Wait, I know you… you're… MASTER, COME QUICK!" The soldier began running towards him.

The grin slid from Foster's face. He took a deep breath to calm himself and shifted back to Earth.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_"That was a close one.__"_ The ability to shift was becoming a lot more useful than he had imagined.

Foster arrived back on Earth just as Leslie was calling out to Jess.

"Jess, look!"

She took off running towards an unseen object. Jess trailed behind, stopping for a few seconds to stare in another direction. Foster followed his gaze, but couldn't spot anything notable.

As the two burst into a small clearing, Foster saw what Leslie had noticed.

It was a treehouse, probably as old as the truck they had seen earlier. Age had not diminished its complexity, though. The treehouse had windows, multiple levels, and even a rope ladder. Foster was concerned that the wood might have rotted after so many years. Leslie, however, had no such qualms, and scampered up the rope ladder. Jess, of course, was not far behind.

After he was sure that they had both made it up to the treehouse unharmed, Foster decided to check and see if the treehouse paralleled anything in Terabithia. Between the truck and what he had learned from Edge, he got the feeling that there was a pattern linking the two worlds. As a result of this pattern, things or events in one world would be mirrored in the other.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Shifting to Terabithia, Foster found that the treehouse had been replaced by the considerably larger (and much more grounded) ruins of The Old Palace, which was where the Kings and Queens lived before the Dark Master's time. The once magnificent castle had fallen into disrepair after being abandoned, and was being absorbed by the surrounding forest in a similar fashion as the truck he had encountered earlier.

Recently, _The Flame_ had turned the ancient palace into their base of operations, a task for which it was well suited. Unfortunately, they couldn't rebuild it for fear of attracting the Dark Master's attention.

As Foster imagined what the castle would have looked like in its glory days, he realized how much impact time had on life in general. _"It controls when you get up, and when you go to bed,"_ he mused. _"It dictates when you eat, what you do. It breaks down castles, trucks, even people. But yet, everyone wants more or less of it."_

Foster shook his head to clear it and tried to refocus.

_"Whoa… that was deep,"_ he thought, surprised by his own mind.

He was about to return to Earth when he noticed a pair of Terabithians from the Treetops lazily circling The Old Palace. Foster recognized them as members of _The Flame_, probably scouting the area before a briefing or gathering of some type. _The Flame_'s raid on the Dark Master's armory three weeks prior had not gone unnoticed, and necessary precautions had to be put in place.

Finding no reason to stay in Terabithia any longer, Foster closed his eyes, relaxed, and shifted back to Earth.

He opened his eyes to see Jess and Leslie standing on the porch of the treehouse, staring at him. No, they weren't staring at _him_, they were staring a pair of dragonflies, flitting back and forth in front of their eyes.

Leslie let out a gasp of amazement. "Warriors!"

Jess was skeptical. "Um, try dragonflies."

"No, they're warriors!" Leslie insisted. "From the Treetop provinces."

That was enough for Foster. He was sure that this was no coincidence; Jess and Leslie were definitely the next King and Queen of Terabithia.

"I—I don't know this game," Jess said.

_"He'll come around eventually,"_ Foster thought with a small smile.

Bursting with excitement, Foster shifted to Terabithia. He ran into the castle ruins, intending to share the good news with _The Flame_.

Foster recalled how his father had mentioned that morale was down among members. _"If there's anything that will get their spirits up, this is it!"_ he thought.

He sprinted up the giant marble staircase which led to the second floor, taking the stairs two at a time. As he neared the top, Foster heard people talking excitedly amongst themselves. Bits and pieces of their conversations floated out through the open doors of the Auditorium.

"Who are they?"

"But… it's been so long…"

"I wouldn't believe it unless I was seeing it with my own eyes."

Foster had a feeling that he knew what they were talking about. He slowed to a walk at the top of the staircase, a bit winded from the climb. The gigantic wooden double doors leading into the Auditorium lay directly in front of him. They were flung wide open, giving Foster a clear view of the stage, and…

Leslie and Jess.

Leslie looked out over the hundreds of people seated in the massive Auditorium. Awe and wonder shone plainly on her face, and was mirrored on the face of each and every person in the room. She had a uniquely commanding presence that came not necessarily from her physical appearance, but from her actions as well as the way she carried herself.

Jess stood behind her and off to the left. He appeared uncomfortable and unsure of himself. His hands rested at his side as he watched Leslie.

For a moment, Foster was disappointed that the pair had revealed their presence before he was able to inform _The Flame_. However, he quickly realized that he was acting rather selfish, and sat down in one of the few remaining chairs in the back of the Auditorium to see what Leslie planned to do.

The loud drone of many people all talking at once turned to silence in the blink of an eye as Leslie began to speak.

"Prisoners of the Dark Master, hear me!"

Her clear, strong voice echoed throughout the room, riveting her audience.

"We have come to free you. Do you hear us? Show me that you hear us!"

There was brief moment of silence. Then, the room exploded into wild cheering and applause. Everyone was on their feet, showing their support for the duo.

Foster noticed Jess saying something to Leslie, but the room was far too loud for him to make it out.

Leslie raised her voice about everything else. "Can't hear you!"

If the noise before was loud, now it was deafening. The roar built to such a volume that the entire castle began to tremble.

Then, without warning, the two were gone.

As the cheering slowly died away, Foster saw Edge take the stage.

"I don't think anything more needs to be said. You know what to do. Dismissed!"

Foster fought his way through the crush of people to where Edge was standing.

Edge's eyes lit up at the sight of his friend and apprentice.

"Foster! Glad to see you made it out in one piece," Edge said. "We were worried that he'd taken you, too."

"No, I just ran away and shifted to Earth," Foster explained. "Have you found… you know…"

He struggled to fight down the rising emotions inside of himself.

Edge shook his head sympathetically. "Not yet. Our best guess is that he's being held in the Dark Master's fortress, since he's such a high-level prisoner. I, along with a few others, am going to be doing some intel runs in the next day or so to see if we can get some definite answers. You, on the other hand, should—"

"—lay low," Foster finished. "I figured you'd say that." He sighed. "You're right, of course. I'll hide out on Earth for a while. I shouldn't have any problems fitting in, since I look just like everyone else."

Edge nodded, pleased at how level-headed Foster was acting. "Good idea."

There was an awkward pause in the conversation. Neither of them had anything more to say, but neither felt comfortable saying farewell so soon.

Finally, Foster broke the silence.

"Well, I'd better get going."

"Me too." Edge shook Foster's hand. "Goodbye, and good luck, kid."

"Same to you."

Edge nodded wordlessly, then walked out of the room, leaving Foster alone in the Auditorium.

_"No sense in wasting time,"_ Foster thought to himself before he shifted to Earth.

- - - - - - - - - - -

He reappeared in his hiding place near the old truck just as Jess and Leslie were running by.

_"Might as well see where they're going,"_ Foster thought. _"It's not like I have anything better to do."_

Foster followed the pair at a distance, trying to find the perfect balance between speed and stealth. They weren't hard to track as they crashed through the underbrush, laughing and joking with each other.

After only a short while, they reached the burbling creek that Foster had heard earlier. Leslie grabbed a long, hooked stick lying nearby and used it to snag the rope swing that hung over the creek. The rope was frayed and discolored with age, but apparently that wasn't enough to stop Leslie. She swung across the creek without hesitation, landing safely on the other side. Turning around, she threw the rope back to Jess with a grunt. Before it had even reached him, she was off and running again.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Jess called as he took hold of the rope.

"Hurry up, silly!"

Jess rolled his eyes and pushed off from the riverbank. He hit the ground on the other side running.

As soon as Jess was out of sight, Foster pulled the rope to him with the same stick that Leslie had used. Foster quickly swung across the placid creek and sped off in pursuit of the two.

_"Wow… they're fast,"_ Foster thought.

Cresting the top of a hill, Foster saw that Jess and Leslie were already near the base, jogging side by side at a slower pace. He sprinted down the slope, intending to make up for lost time.

The hill was steeper than he had guessed, and the terrain was uneven. Realizing his mistake too late, Foster struggled to control his speed as he careened towards the bottom.

Just as the ground leveled out and Foster began to relax, a tree root caught his ankle, sending him flying through the air. He landed flat on his stomach, wincing more at the snapping of twigs and the crackling of dry leaves underneath him than the relatively minor injuries he had sustained.

Foster remained in the same position, unmoving. His vision was obscured by the thick foliage surrounding him. He could glimpse only the shoes of Jess and Leslie.

They weren't moving.

"Who's there?" Leslie's voice held no trace of fear. "Show yourself!"

Foster silently cursed his own stupidity. Then, to his horror, he saw two pairs of shoes turn in his direction. A hand, probably belonging to Jess, reached down and picked up a large stick. Plants rustled as the stick swept back and forth through their leaves. The two began to slowly advance towards Foster, each footstep breaking the quiet of the forest with an ominous crunch.

Foster panicked as they drew closer and closer to where he lay. Hastily running through his options, he sensed that his best choice would be to apologize and trust himself to their mercy. He figured that while he couldn't outdistance them, he could probably beat them in a fight, although he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

By now, they were only a few yards away. Foster slowly rose to his feet to avoid startling them, then sank into a respectful bow.

"Your Majesties… I can explain."

- - - - - - - - - - -

_Author's Note: _How's that for a cliffhanger? Just to give you a heads-up: school has started for me, which unfortunately means that I'll have less time available to write. If I haven't updated in a while, or if you think I'm slacking off, crack the whip and send me a PM! Now, click that review button! Your comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated.


	3. Friends

**Worlds Apart**  
A _Bridge to Terabithia_ Fan Fiction

_Author's Note: _Yes, I realize that my chapters are getting shorter. I also realize that this chapter was quite a long time in the making. I apologize up front for both of those things. School and work have robbed me of most of my free time. Also, as always, if there are any errors in my story, please don't hesitate to correct me via review or PM.

_Props: _Many thanks to my reviewers: MadTom, NarnianMelody, Sharkie, haha169, snowstargirl, and SunBurst. Also, thanks to my readers who haven't reviewed; you know who you are!

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own the world of Terabithia. It originally belonged to Katherine Patterson, but now may be split among Disney and other corporations. No profit was, or will be received from this story.

**Chapter 3 – Friends  
**(Please read and review, it makes us better writers.)

"Sorry?" Leslie's nose scrunched up in confusion. "Sorry for what?"

Foster was still bowing. "I—I've been following you. I'm really sorry, I just wanted to see what life here was like, and…"

"Wait," Jess interrupted. "Why did you call us 'your majesties'?"

"It was to show proper respect. You _are_ the King and Queen of Terabithia, after all."

Leslie's eyes widened. "How did you know that name? I haven't said it to anyone! Oh, by the way, you don't have to bow anymore."

Foster straightened up. "Thank you, milady. The reason I know about Terabithia is because, well, I come from there. It's a real place, the same as Earth is."

Jess had long since dropped his stick, realizing that the boy in front of him didn't mean them any harm.

"Hold on, what did you say your name was?"

"Oh, I forgot. I'm Foster, Foster Newham."

He extended his hand to Jess, who shook it. "I'm Jess Aarons," he replied, "And this is Leslie Burke."

Leslie raised her hand in a half-wave and beamed. "Nice to meet you!" she said.

Foster relaxed as he felt the last remnants of hostility fade away into the cool evening air. "It's an honor to meet both of you," he said. "Now, you're probably wondering what I'm doing here."

Jess glanced upward at the orange tones cast by the setting sun, then over at Leslie.

"We should go. It's getting late, and I still have to do my homework."

Leslie agreed, and then beckoned to Foster. "Come on! You can tell us on the way."

The three walked side-by-side, out of the vibrant forest and through the sprawling, grassy meadows.

"As I've mentioned before, I'm a Terabithian," Foster began. "I've lived in Terabithia all my life, at least as far as I know. My father is one of the founding members of _The Flame_, which is an organization made up of Terabithians opposed to the Dark Master's rule."

"Whoa, that must be pretty cool," Jess remarked.

Foster grimaced. "Not really. He's not home very much, and when he _is_ home, he hardly says a word to me. "

"I can relate," Jess mumbled.

Foster didn't really know how to respond to that, so he continued on.

"Anyways, I'm not very good at storytelling, but here's what happened: Yesterday, I came home from training with Edgeto find—"

Leslie couldn't resist. "Training?" she interjected. "What's that?"

Foster blushed slightly. "I was—am—training to become a Terabithia warrior. Not for the Dark Master, though! And Edge is my teacher. He's one of the best all-around warriors in all of Terabithia, at least in my opinion."

That was enough to impress Jess. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "So do you know karate?"

"Huh?"

"Karate! Like…" Jess chopped the air a few times, halfheartedly imitating the action movies he had seen on TV.

Leslie giggled. "Nice, Jess!"

Jess's face turned crimson at her comment, but his demonstration got the point across.

"Oh…" Foster said. "Yeah, kind of…"

"Can you show us?" Jess asked.

Foster shrugged. "If you want."

Jess and Leslie both smiled and nodded.

"All right. Stand back a few paces so I don't accidentally hit you."

Foster stepped away from the two, crouched slightly, and took a deep breath in preparation. He closed his eyes and thrust twice, once with each hand. He finished it off with a spinning roundhouse kick. _"A little rough,"_ he thought to himself. _"But it's been awhile."_

He relaxed his body and turned around to see two pairs of eyeballs bulging out of their sockets.

"That was amazing!"

"Thanks," Foster replied. He felt a little embarrassed at the attention he was receiving. "Do either of you know anything like that…karate?"

Jess and Leslie shook their heads ruefully.

"I wish I did," Jess said. "There's more than one person I'd like to take care of." His expression darkened. "Let's keep moving, we're almost there."

The three continued their trek: Two towards home and one away from it.

A thought popped into Leslie's head. "Oh! Sorry for interrupting your story, Foster. You can keep going now."

Foster inclined his head. "Don't worry, I had forgotten about it too. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, so I had just come home from training. My dad wasn't around, but that was pretty typical, so I didn't think anything of it. I made myself a light supper, then headed for the bedroom.

"As I passed through the living room, I was ambushed by the Dark Master."

Leslie gasped. Foster shot a sidelong glance at her before continuing.

"The Dark Master brought out my father, in chains…"

Leslie gasped again. Foster expected it this time, but he pressed on. He feared that if he lingered for too long over the details, he might… become emotional.

"He offered to make me a deal. If I would return the books that Edge had stolen, he said that he'd let us go."

"What were the books about?" Leslie asked.

"They dealt with place-shifting, or shifting, for short. It's the term for moving from one world to the next. You guys—humans—can do it naturally, but Terabithians have to be taught how. Apparently the Dark Master doesn't want anyone leaving Terabithia."

"What about you?" Jess asked. "Are you human or Terabithian?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Foster replied. "I think I'm a little bit of each. I'm a human—I think—but I've lived in Terabithia for as long as I can remember. Nobody's ever told me anything about myself…" Foster trailed off into a thoughtful silence.

Jess nodded, satisfied with his answer. Leslie's mind, however, was still on Foster's escape.

"Your dad," she started. "Is he still…?"

A pained expression cut across Foster's face. "Yeah," he replied. "Edge and some others are searching for him right now, but I don't know if they'll have any luck. In the meantime, I've got to hide out here on Earth. It seems that I'm number one on the Dark Master's hit list, and it wouldn't be fair to endanger anyone else by hiding me."

"What about your mom?" Leslie asked. "Where is she?"

"She died a couple of years ago."

Leslie put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"It's all right, it doesn't bother me anymore. As for how she died, nobody knows for sure. Rumor has it that the Dark Master poisoned her, but no one wants to show too much interest in her death, or they might have the same fate."

Leslie and Jess were both in shock.

"That's horrible," Leslie whispered.

"Yeah, well, that's the Dark Master." Foster allowed for a moment of silence before continuing.

"Anyway, after shifting to Earth I was pretty worn out, so I fell asleep on the ground. I slept until late afternoon today. When I woke up, I was pretty hungry, so I ate an apple from a nearby tree. That's when I heard Jess calling for you, Leslie.

"I followed you two around because I was interested to see what life here is like. I watched you discover the truck and the treehouse, become the first humans to enter Terabithia in a long time, and deliver an inspiring, if short, speech to _The Flame_. After that, I kept following you, got discovered, and here I am!" Foster spread his arms wide.

"So it's all real then?" Jess wondered aloud. "Terabithia and everything?"

Foster laughed. "I sure hope so, or else I've been living in an imaginary world for the past twelve years."

"Wow… After the trees blew, it seemed like real. But I never would have guessed that it, you know, _was_." Jess's face flushed as he realized that Leslie had never doubted the existence of Terabithia for even a second.

As the group reached the top of a particularly tall hill, Foster tried to shield his eyes from glare of the setting sun.

"Do you see that? What are all those buildings for?"

Leslie giggled. "Those are our houses, silly!" Her expression turned mischievous as an idea struck her. "Hey, I'll race you there! On your mark, get set, go!"

The three took off down the hill, towards the seldom-used dirt road that connected the two houses with the rest of civilization. Leslie was clearly the fastest, but Jess and Foster were evenly matched.

As the Burkes' black Mercedes came into view, Jess put on a burst of speed. Foster quickly found himself bringing up the rear. He didn't get the negative feelings he usually got whenever he lost at something, though. He just felt… happy.

The three slowed to a stop at the shaded crossroads between the houses. They were breathing hard, but grinning from ear to ear.

The smile slid from Jess's face as he noticed how dark it had become. "I'd better go. My dad's gonna kill me for being out so late!" He turned and began to jog towards his house. "See ya!" he called back to them.

"I'd better go, too," Leslie said. "I don't want my parents to freak out or anything." A thought occurred to her. "Hey, are you planning on sleeping in the forest again tonight?"

Foster shrugged. "Probably. I'm a good enough woodsman that I shouldn't have any trouble taking care of myself, especially in this mild weather."

"No way! You can stay with us. We have an extra bedroom and everything. C'mon!" Leslie turned and began to jog towards her house.

Foster pulled up alongside of her. "Don't you have to ask your parents?"

"Oh yeah…" Leslie deflated for a moment, then brightened. "But they won't mind. I'm positive."

Leslie hopped up the steps to the porch, yanked the screen door open, and walked inside with Foster close behind.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Her parents were sitting next to each other on top of their king-size bed, typing rapidly on their laptops. They both looked up as Leslie walked in.

"Hey, Leslie!" Mr. Burke said. "We're both on the final chapter of our books. At the rate we're going, we should make our deadlines with time to spare."

"That's great, Dad!" Leslie said.

"Yeah, I'm... hello; who's this?" Mr. Burke had noticed Foster standing a respectful distance behind Leslie.

"This is Foster Newham, my new friend," Foster stepped forward into the room. "He's a… foreign exchange student."

"Nice to meet you, Foster. I'm Bill, and this is my wife, Judy." They both shook Foster's hand in turn.

"It's an honor to meet the both of you," Foster said, echoing his words from when he had met Jess and Leslie.

Bill and Judy grinned at the eclectic choice of words. Leslie grinned as well, because she recognized what Foster meant by them.

"So, where are you living while you're in the States?" Judy asked.

"Well, uh, there were some issues…" Foster stammered.

Leslie picked up the slack. "The family he was going to stay with decided last minute that they didn't want him. He's sleeping in the forest right now. Would it be all right if he stays with us?"

Bill and Judy looked at each other for a second, then shrugged.

"Of course," Judy said. "You stay as long as you want. If there's anything you need —clothes, school supplies—just let us know."

Foster tipped his head forward in a half-bow. "Thank you very much for your hospitality. I promise I won't cause you any problems."

Bill waved him off. "Don't worry about it. It's our pleasure."

"C'mon," Leslie said to Foster. "I'll show you your room!" She grabbed Foster's hand and pulled him out the door, but not before she mouthed _"Thank you"_ to her parents.

Bill and Judy smiled, shook their heads, and turned their attention back to their laptops.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Foster sprawled out on the twin bed in his temporary bedroom. As he reflected on the past day, he realized that it had taken a strange turn of events. He went from getting caught following the King and Queen of Terabithia, to making two new friends, to finding a place to stay. Truth be told, he was impressed by the kindness and generosity of Jess, Leslie, and her parents.

_"If all people on Earth are as nice as they are, it's no surprise that most humans prefer to stay here rather than visit Terabithia."_

He shifted into a more comfortable position on the bed. The room he had been giving was sparsely decorated in dark shades of green. A bed and a roof above his head were more than enough to meet his needs, though. He couldn't ask for anything more.

A single stream of moonlight shone through the open window, lending a peaceful atmosphere to the room. As his eyes drooped closed and he drifted off to sleep, Foster realized that he had finally found something that he'd been looking for all his life:

_"Friends."_


End file.
